You Had Me at Balloon Animals
by kate-dammit-run
Summary: This is AU. Very very AU. Jane and Roman are con artists. Sarah is their unwitting target. Kurt is serving a suspension from the FBI. Also, it's Sawyer's birthday.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** You Had Me at Balloon Animals  
 **Summary:** Please blame gypsyscarfwoman for this. Seriously, it is all her fault. This is AU. Very very AU. Jane and Roman are con artists. Sarah is their target. Kurt is serving a suspension. Also it's little Sawyer's birthday.

* * *

"Are you still sure you want to do this?" Roman asked his sister as he grabbed the eyeliner off the dresser.

"We cannot cancel now," Jane replied, "we have to go forward with it."

"It's just not our usual target," Roman said as he applied the bright colored pencil across his eyelid.

"I know," Jane admitted, her own make up fully done, watching her brother as he put his final touches, "and it's on me, I know, but it's too late now to back out of it."

"You're getting sloppy, big sister," Roman teased, "after all these years."

Jane smacked her brother's head playfully and stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not the one who's responsible for us having to leave LA," she reminded him, "there was pretty good money in LA."

"True," Roman said, picking up his wig and adjusting it on his top of his head, "but New York isn't too bad, you gotta admit."

"It's not," Jane said, "but I'd rather con Hollywood actors than Wall Street moguls."

"Or as the case may be, Brooklyn based kindergarten teachers," Roman said.

Jane rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him. "I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?" she asked and he just shook his head and laughed.

"You suck," she mumbled, "come on let's go. We're gonna be late."

"Oh no, we cannot possibly be late," Roman mumbled, grabbing his duffel bag and following his sister towards the front door of the small apartment that they shared.

Across town, Sarah Weller stood in the middle of the living room of the apartment that she had been sharing with her brother over the past few months and looked around proudly. It had taken her a few hours but she had managed to transform the boring space into one worthy of a ten-year old's birthday party.

It wasn't much, given the space she had to work with, but she was quite proud of it. She wanted to give her son the best birthday she could, especially considering the tough year they'd had. She had caught her husband cheating on her and quickly discovered that he had been doing so for quite some time. The divorce process had been ugly, and poor Sawyer was caught in the middle of it.

At the end of it, she packed up her bags and left their million-dollar house in the Hamptons and moved back to the city. Her brother had welcomed her back without any questions, only after she managed to connive him against killing her ex-husband.

She could have had it all, the house, the life he had been living since marrying the congressman, but she wanted it all behind her. She wanted absolutely nothing from him. She would go back to doing what she loved, and what she was doing before she had gotten married, and she would be perfectly fine. The only thing she did care about was that Sawyer would get the best life possible, and his father agreed. And do all the money had gone to him. He had a school fund that would keep him in the best private school until he graduated, and a college fund that ensured he could afford any college he wanted to go to, and finally a trust fund that he'd have access to at twenty-one.

And so there she was, teaching kindergarten in Brooklyn and sharing a bedroom with her son in her brother's apartment. Planning a birthday party on her salary wasn't easy, especially considering the kind of friends Sawyer had at the private school, but she was adamant on not asking her ex for anything. So, she had saved up for months, but still when she came short, Kurt had offered to pitch in. She didn't want his money at first but then he'd insisted, claiming it was his gift to Sawyer, and she had to say ye, knowing perfectly well Kurt had a brand-new bike stashed up in storage as the real gift.

She had been absolutely lucky with one thing, hiring the entertainment. She hadn't really been looking for anything, but after a meeting at Sawyer's school one day a few weeks ago, she'd stopped for coffee with some of the other mothers and got to talking about the birthday when a lady sitting at a nearby table over heard them. Jane, that was her name, told Sarah that she and her brother ran a small birthday planning and entertainment business and they came at a very reasonable price. They were just starting up, having recently moved east, and after seeing some pictures from her portfolio, Sarah was sold.

"Wow," Sarah looked behind her to see Kurt walk in, "is this my apartment or have I teleported?"

"Ha Ha," Sarah rolled her eyes, "very funny."

"I'm kidding," Kurt said as he walked towards her, "it looks amazing. Sawyer's gonna love it."

"You think so?" Sarah asked as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"I know so," Kurt said, "you did a great job. I seriously do not recognize it as my apartment. Heck, I don't even remember what it used to look like."

Sarah giggled, "well, let me remind you. Boring grey carpet, boring grey couch, boring white walls.

"Are you saying I'm boring?" Kurt pretended to be offended.

"I'm saying your apartment can be used for the FBI guidebook on decor," Sarah laughed.

"I'm sorry I haven't had the time to hire a decorator," Kurt laughed, "but maybe now that I have some free time- "

"Hey," Sarah said as she moved towards him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "it's gonna be fine," she reassured him, "Mayfair had to do- "

"I know," Kurt admitted, "I know, I gave her no choice. But I just hate being so useless. It's not the first time Mayfair has benched me, but it's never been for this long."

"It's for your own good. Look at this way, you were never gonna take any time off, so this suspension is like a forced vacation," Sarah said and he nodded, "plus, you're not useless. You're gonna help me keep fifteen ten year olds in check today. That is the kind of work that requires the Quantico training that you've undergone."

"Remind me again, how drunk was I when I said ok to this?" Kurt laughed.

"Just a little bit?" Sarah laughed, "ok, maybe you were hammered. But you can't back out now."

Jane shifted awkwardly in the crowded subway car, trying to let an elderly woman pass. Her oversized outfit and extra-large shoes made the task almost impossible. She heard the old lady mumble some expletive about clowns on the subway and Jane couldn't help but giggle herself at the absurdity of her situation. Beside her, Roman, in his full clown outfit, was also mumbling something under his breath.

"What was that?" she turned to him asking.

"I said, I hate children," Roman said and Jane laughed when she saw the group of children in front of him, jumping excitedly, asking him to do tricks and balloon animals.

"Yup, that's the spirit," Jane teased.

"You owe me," he said as he pulled a balloon out of his pocket, "big time."

The party had been in full swing for almost half an hour by the time Jane and Roman arrived. And half an hour may not be the longest time, but when it involved fifteen ten year olds, high on sugar, it meant quite a lot.

"You made it!" Sarah had to yell when she opened the door to them.

"We did," Jane replied, as she walked in, followed by Roman, in to the small apartment.

"Ummm, ok, so… go for it," Sarah said, not quite sure if she was supposed to do anything. All the previous parties they'd had for Sawyer had involved a party planner while she relaxed and entertained the other mothers. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed and she showed it.

"Don't worry, Sarah," Jane said with a reassuring hand on Sarah's shoulder, "we got this."

Jane turned towards Roman for a moment and then back at Sarah. "Is there a place where we can just put our things and do some final preps?"

Sarah nodded, "yes, yes, of course," she said, "follow me."

Sarah led them towards her bedroom, he one she shared with her son, and left them to set up. When she walked back out, she found most of the kids surrounding a very uncomfortable looking Kurt.

"Wait, wait, kids, no, wait," she heard him say, trying to push away from them.

"Everything ok?" she asked him as she came close.

"Yeah, yeah," Kurt mumbled, "no, actually, not ok."

"What's going on?" Sarah laughed.

"Sawyer told them I'm an FBI agent," Kurt said.

"And?"

"And now they're playing a game of where does Agent Weller stash his weapons in the apartment," Kurt said and then he moved closer to whisper, "and there are a few guns here, Sarah, you know that. What if one of these kids finds one?"

"Don't worry," Sarah told him, "the cavalry's here."

"What?" Kurt asked.

"The entertainment I hired, the two clowns? They just got here," she told him and watched him sigh in relief, "they'll take over now."

"Does that mean I'm off the hook?" Kurt asked.

"Not completely, I still need your help," she said, "but you can go hide in your room for ten minutes if you want. I know it's what you've wanted to do all along."

Roman sat on the edge of one of the two twin beds in the small bedroom, the one with the Darth Vader sheets – the contrast between the dark sheets and his colorful costume almost hilarious – and looked around him.

"This place is even smaller than ours," he said, "I didn't think that was possible."

"It's not," Jane corrected him as she worked to fix her makeup.

"How much money does a kindergarten teacher make a year?" Roman teased.

"How was I supposed to know –" Jane sighed, "you know what? I'm done apologizing for not doing the proper vetting on this target ok? Her kid goes to the most expensive private school on the east coast and I just assumed they're worth the con."

"Ok, ok," Roman said, "I'm sorry. I'm done teasing and complaining. It might not be too bad after all," he said as patted the bed, "at least we know he has good taste. That's one awesome bed sheet. You think with the paycheck we'll get for this gig I can afford one like it?"

Roman laughed and Jane rolled her eyes. "Just go out there and start entertaining these kids, will you? The sooner we get started the sooner we can get it over with.

"Fine fine," he said as he got up, "better come join me soon. No hiding out in the bedroom, got it?"

"Got it, got it," Jane said.

Roman made his way towards the door. He stopped by the dresser and looked at a framed photo there. It had Sarah, who they just met, her curly haired son and a man standing behind them. "Is this the ex?" Roman asked.

"Why would she have a picture of her cheating ex in her bedroom?" Jane replied.

"I dunno," Roman said as he set it back down, "do you think the frame is worth anything?"

"No, Roman! We're not taking anything," Jane said, "we agreed on this. It's not worth the risk. Also, no. This frame is like $5 at Walgreens."

Jane took a moment after Roman left and sighed. Staring at the mirror, she wondered how things ended up here, living a life of crime with her little brother, pretending to be entertainers at rich children's birthdays as they conned their parents.

And now, for the first time in all the years of doing this, they screw up. Sarah was supposed to be another one of those rich uptight women, who only cared about throwing the most expensive party for her kid, who didn't pay attention to anything which made coming in and making a few thousand bucks off her and her husband easy. Instead, she was a struggling single mother who was genuinely sweet and caring and who was trying to do her best to make her son happy.

It was never supposed to be like this. None of it was supposed to be like this.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when her phone buzzed with a text message from Roman.

 _"Where are you? You promised not to abandon me! Come out here now!"_

Jane shook her head and got up. She grabbed her things and made her way out of the bedroom. She wasn't paying attention when she walked out and ended up slamming straight into… someone's chest

"Oof," she said and immediately felt someone grab her and stop her from falling over.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Kurt said.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't –" Jane mumbled as she steadied herself and looked up, "Oh, hi."

It was the man from the picture.

"I'm Kurt," he said, "Sarah's brother."

He released her from his grasp and gave her his hand. She shook his hand firmly. "I'm Jane," she replied, "I'm the…"

"Clown?" Kurt said.

"The party entertainer," Jane corrected him and smiled.

Kurt returned the smile, "I'm sorry. Party entertainer."

Jane looked down, realizing he had not released her hand, and neither had she.

"I have to get going," she told him as she pulled her hand back, "got a party to entertain."

"Of course," Kurt said, moving aside to let her pass, "be careful, though. They're monsters."

"Oh, I'm not scared," Jane laughed.

"Ah, you're one of those tough clowns," he laughed.

"Very tough," Jane said, "aren't you joining the party?" she asked when he took a step in the opposite direction.

"I've been allowed a ten minute break," he said.

"Too scared?"

"I admit, yes, a little bit," Kurt admitted.

"Aw, don't worry, when you come back out, I'll keep you safe," Jane teased.

Kurt shook his head and laughed as he watched her make her way towards the living room.

An hour later, Kurt sat next to Sarah watching the two siblings as they entertained the children with magic tricks.

"They're good," Sarah said.

"Mmm," Kurt replied, not really paying attention.

"Are you ok?" Sarah asked him.

"Yeah… there's just something familiar about the guy," Kurt said as he studied him carefully. It was hard to identify him with all the make-up he wore, but there was something about him that Kurt just could not shake.

"He looks like any other clown I've ever seen," Sarah shrugged.

"Where'd you find them?" Kurt asked her.

"I didn't, actually. Jane found me," Sarah said, "she overheard me talking about the party and approached me. She showed me other parties they've worked, mostly stuff around LA and I was impressed. Honestly, she saved this party. I don't know what I would've done without her."

"Mmm, ok," was all Kurt said before getting up and going to his room.

The kids were playing a game with Roman when Kurt came back out from his bedroom. He looked around for Jane and found her on the terrace.

"They are exhausting," she said when he walked out to where she was, "but not too terrifying. I think you were –"

"I know who you are," Kurt said.

"Yeah, we just met –"

"No," Kurt said, his voice low and stern, "I know who you are _Remi Briggs_. And I can have you arrested right now."

Jane stared at him, eyes wide in shock.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kurt," she said, "my name is Jane –"

"Actually, it's Special Agent Kurt Weller of the FBI," he said as he walked towards her, "you're either the worst con artist or you think you're so good that you could walk into an FBI agent's home and think you can get away with it.

Jane looked between Kurt and the party going on inside the apartment.

"Let us at least finish the party," she whispered, "you wouldn't want to ruin Sawyer's party would you?"

Kurt clenched his jaw and stared at her, and then he looked towards his nephew – looking the happiest he'd been since his parent's divorce.

"You stay by my side," he said, "I'm not taking my eyes off you for a second. And when the party's over, I'm taking you in."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** So here's part 2. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review the first part. For some reason this is turning out to be angstier than I already planned. It was supposed to be a crack AU fic that suddenly has a plot now. I think I've got 6 or 7 chapters planned for this. I hope you enjoy this second chapter. And I promise, this is a Jeller fic (even if a certain ex boyfriend shows up in the upcoming chapters)

* * *

 _Fourteen Years Ago_

 _Teenaged Remi Briggs lay in bed very still, pretending to be asleep, a skill she had learned and mastered in her time here – the place she was told she could call home all those years ago when Ellen Briggs had adopted her and her brother, Roman._

 _Those weren't their names then. She was born Alice Kruger, and her brother, a year younger, was Ian Kruger._

 _But now, only a few years later, those names had long been forgotten._

 _Remi lay there, counting her heartbeats, counting the minutes. There were no clocks or watches or phones in the room, so Remi had to count time on her own. She knew lights out was at ten on the dot. And she knew that Shepherd retreated to her quarters at 11._

 _By her count, she had twelve minutes left before she could make a move._

 _So, she counted. And she waited._

 _And then the time came, Remi finally, carefully, peeled the covers off her and sat up in bed. She reached underneath and pulled out an old worn out back pack which she had packed with what little belongings she had and within a few minutes, she was at the far end of the property where the house they lived in sat._

 _She reached into her bag and pulled out the digital watch. She checked it. Roman had two minutes to meet her there or they would miss their chance to finally get out. She panicked for a moment. Roman had voiced his hesitance. It wasn't that he didn't want out just like her, but he was younger and more importantly, he was just following her. He did not know what she knew. She would never tell him. The truth she had come across was terrible, and she would protect her brother from it for as long as she could. It was her burden to carry._

 _And it was her job to protect him._

 _Finally, despite the pitch-black darkness that surrounded her, she finally spotted him, running towards her._

 _"Are you ready?" she asked when he was standing in front of her._

 _"I'm scared," he admitted._

 _"Good," she said, "that means you will be careful."_

 _She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze._

 _"Let's go," she whispered and started to climb the wall in front of her._

Present Day

Kurt sat at one of the stools by the kitchen counter, perched higher than all the kids who sat on the floor as Jane and Roman performed another little show for them. He'd gotten himself a drink in the meantime, and as he sat there, he watched her closely, not taking his eyes off her for a moment.

Roman had noticed the shift in his sister, just slightly. But ever since she had come in from the terrace, something had been off. This performance was one of her favorite, if he could actually say that about this charade that they put on for a living, but he could not help but feel that she did not seem into it at all.

She was nervous and edgy and she kept glancing towards the guy in the kitchen – Sarah's brother.

If she was ditching him after this to hook up with a guy he was going to kill her.

"Hey kids! Why don't we take a short break, and afterwards we can do some more magic tricks?" Roman said and the kids all screeched in excitement and started to scatter.

Roman turned to look at jane, who was lost in thought in that moment. He grabbed her elbow gently, turning her to look at him.

"Everything ok?" he whispered leaning in to her.

She shook her head and smiled, nervously. "Yeah, everything's fine," she said, "why?"

"You just seem… somewhere else," he said.

"It's nothing," she told him, "nothing, really."

"Promise?"

She gave him a wider, more confident smile, "I promise."

Roman finally let her go and she quickly went to Kurt. "Prove it," she suddenly found herself saying, standing in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Prove that you're an FBI agent," she said again.

Kurt scoffed and shook his head. "I don't need to prove anything to you," he said.

"If you want to arrest then you should," she said, "show me your badge."

Kurt clenched his jaw and got up, standing up and moving awfully close to her. "I don't-"

"Show me your badge," she said again.

"I don't have it," he whispered, and saw her raise her eyebrows at him, "I'm suspended at the moment."

And suddenly, Jane laughed

"You're suspended?" she asked again, not sure she had heard him right the first time.

"Yes," he said.

"Then how is this going to work?"

"You don't need to worry about that," he said, getting annoyed with her attitude.

"Fine," she said, "I'll leave you to figure it out, then."

The kids were staring in awe as Jane and Roman performed their magic trick, and Kurt, on his third drink, was still sitting on the stool.

"When I said I needed you by my side through this I didn't mean you couldn't take the occasional break?" Sarah's voice came from behind him.

He looked over his shoulder and smiled at his sister. She looked happy. She was happy. As far as she knew, this party was a success.

"It's really ok," she said again, "it's coming to a close, so if you want to leave, if you have somewhere you-"

Kurt shook his head, "I've got no where else I need to be," he told her.

"Are you sure?" she said again, reaching towards his drink and stealing a sip from it.

"I'm sure," he told her.

"Thanks," she whispered, putting the drink back down and giving his arm a squeeze, "I've got the best brother in the world."

She took a step away and then turned around. "And yeah," she told him, with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes, "I saw her before she got into character. She's pretty hot."

Kurt rolled his eyes at Sarah, but still could not help to glance towards Jane for a split second.

An hour later, there were only a few kids left and they were busy playing video games. Sarah took the opportunity to turn on some adult music.

"We're just gonna get changed and help you clean up," Jane told Sarah as she walked up to her.

"Oh, you don't need to do that," Sarah told her.

"It's no trouble," Jane said.

Roman went in ahead of her and Jane found herself standing in front of Kurt again. "We're just gonna get changed," she told him, "it's not like we can jump out of the ninth floor window," she added under her breath and he slowly moved aside to let her pass.

"I love this song," Sarah sighed as she put some plates down onto the counter.

"Come here," Kurt said, taking her hand in his, he twirled her around with the music and she giggled.

They danced together for a moment, making fun of each others' missed steps and moves.

"You're a horrible dancer," she told him, "always have been."

"Excuse me," Kurt pretended to be offended, "I'm an excellent dancer. I just have a terrible partner."

"Oh, please. I'll have you know-"

"May I cut in?" Jane's voice interrupted her and Sarah peeked over Kurt's shoulder to look at her. She smiled slightly and took a step back, away from Kurt, and when he turned around, the sight of Jane without her clown outfit caught him off guard.

He found himself staring at one of the most beautiful he had ever seen, and for a moment, he forgot she was a criminal he had to arrest and just felt nervous and excited about dancing with her.

"Of course," he heard Sarah say and watched as Jane took a step towards him. And when he made no attempt to move, Jane took the initiative taking on of his hands and placing it on her waist, and taking the other in hers.

Behind them, Roman watched, slightly annoyed, and then turned to Sarah. "I guess the cleaning up is on us," he mumbled, "because I don't dance, so don't get any ideas."

Sarah chuckled, shaking her head as she moved back towards the living room and continued to clean up, helped by Roman.

It took Jane placing her hand against his shoulder to snap Kurt back to reality, and he pushed her away slightly.

"What do you think you're doing?" he said.

"I need to talk to you without being interrupted," she said, "I want to explain everything."

"You can do that in the interrogation room," Kurt replied.

"I will," she said, "I promise I will, but first I wanted to tell you here."

"Why?" Kurt asked her, very confused by this woman's behavior.

"Because I want it to be you, Kurt, that I tell," she whispered, "not Agent Weller."

Kurt just looked at her, waiting for further explanation.

"I don't trust the FBI," she admitted.

"But I am FBI," he told her.

"Not right now you're not," she said, "right now you're just Kurt."

He hadn't noticed for some reason, but she'd stepped closer and they were suddenly dancing again.

"And you trust me?" he asked her.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Why?"

"I don't know," she said.

He shifted slightly, moving back to look at her for a moment. "Fine," he said, "let's go out to the terrace."

Jane nodded and let go of Kurt's hand, allowing him to lead them out towards the terrace.

A few minutes later, Jane was sitting on one of the chairs while Kurt leaned against the railing.

"You have to understand," she said, "I know that what we do is wrong. But we don't have any other choice. We try not to hurt anyone. We target rich people who throw boat parties for their ten year old kids. They won't notice a missing two thousand dollar watch or a bracelet or a pair of earrings."

"What you do is still a crime," Kurt pointed out.

Jane nodded. "I know," she said, "we know that. But Roman and I… we don't have any real legal status or any legal rights. We don't have any papers. We can't get real jobs. We don't even have real names."

"I don't understand," Kurt said.

Jane looked down for a moment, searching for the strength to tell the story she had been keeping close to her heart for almost fifteen years.

"That's what I want to explain to you," Jane said, "I want to make things right. But I need to protect Roman. That's the only thing I ask for. I don't care what you do to me. And in return, I can give you the most dangerous woman in America."

 ** _To be continued._**


	3. Chapter 3

Jane remembered well the day the American soldiers came in and rescued them. They'd been living at the orphanage for almost four years and they saw this as their chance to finally escape the hell they had been living.

Only, what they moved on to was far worse than where they had been.

Jane and Roman – then Alice and Ian – were taken in by a woman, Ellen Briggs. She promised them a home, and a future and chance to forget their tortured past. For the first few months, they lived in a normal home. Ellen told them that by changing their names they could rid themselves of the ghosts of their past and start fresh. So they became Remi and Roman. They attended a normal American school, until the school year was over for the summer. And then, they came back home and found Ellen had packed up their things.

"Where are we going?" Roman had asked.

"Well, now that the school year is over," Ellen said sweetly, "I thought we could spend the summer somewhere nice. Somewhere that is quiet and relaxing away from the city."

They'd believed her, excited to be going on a real vacation.

But it was never a vacation that they were going to.

Jane twisted her hands in her lap as she told Kurt the story.

"Her real name is Ellen Briggs, but that was not what we called her," she said, "at least not after those first few months and not after we moved to the ranch. That's what she called it… The Ranch."

"What did you call her?" Kurt asked.

"Shepherd," Jane said, feeling the skin go cold at saying that name out loud for the first time in a long time, "she made us call her Shepherd. Not just Roman and I. Everyone at the Ranch called her that. All the other kids."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Other kids?"

"There were at least twenty of us at first," Jane said, "and the number grew to maybe fifty at one time."

"What was the Ranch?" Kurt implored.

"On the surface? It was a foster home for lost children, abandoned orphans, etc," Jane said, "but in reality? She was training soldiers… mercenaries for hire for wars all over the world."

Jane looked at Kurt then. She had never told this to anyone. Not even Roman knew this. That was what she had found out. That was the reason why she had run.

And for a few minutes, Kurt was silent. He just looked at her, taking it all in.

"I'm not making this up," Jane whispered and Kurt finally shook his head and moved towards her. He sat down on the chair next to hers.

"There's been rumors for years about something like that. A homegrown cell of mercenaries, being trained on US and paid to fight and start wars all over the world," he admitted, "but no one's ever been able to prove that."

"I can," Jane said.

"The word or a two-bit criminal-"

"I have proof," Jane said confidently, looking him and not wavering.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"When I found out and decided that we had to run away I took some proof, to protect us," Jane told him, "we had nothing. We were trained soldiers… trained to kill. We had no other skills to survive. I knew whatever we ended up doing and wherever we ended up being… a day like today was bound to come. We needed insurance."

"Does Roman-"

"He has no clue," Jane said, "I've kept this from him the whole time. I had to protect him from it."

"What's your proof?" Kurt asked.

"I took pictures," Jane said, "of some documents that I found."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Where's this proof?" he asked.

"I can take you to it."

Kurt and Jane walked back into the apartment to find Roman and Sawyer on the floor, playing video games with Sarah having a piece of cake in the kitchen. The place had been completely cleaned and reorganized. "Thanks for your help, you two," Sarah teased, "we really couldn't have done it without you."

Sarah looked at them and realized they both had somber looks on their faces. "Everything ok?" she asked and Kurt nodded.

"You ready?" Roman looked up from his game at Jane.

Jane froze for a moment and then turned to look at Kurt, pleading with him silently. Kurt touched her elbow, and Jane turned back to Roman. "Why don't you get back home," she said, "I'm just gonna-"

Roman got up and walked towards her, not failing to notice the way Kurt was holding on to her elbow.

"What's going on?" Roman asked, his gaze fixed on Kurt.

"Nothing, nothing," Jane said, forcing a smile. She glanced briefly at Kurt who released her elbow and she took Roman to the side.

"Look, I'm just gonna spend some time with Kurt," she told him, "but we're still on for dinner. It's sushi night, remember?"

Roman nodded. "Are you sure everything's ok? You seem-"

"Everything's fine," she said, "I've just been talking with Kurt and…"

"Seriously? I thought we had a rule about getting personal with clients."

Jane let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Well, technically, he's not the client. His sister is," she said.

"Oh, so when he's tall and broody, that's when we get into the technicalities," Roman teased and Jane chuckled, punching him playfully in the ribs.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out an old coin and gave it to him. "I'll see you in a few hours," she said as she pressed the coin into his palm.

"You're paying for sushi," he said and she nodded in agreement.

Jane gave Kurt an address to a storage facility outside the city and they drove in silence for the duration of the trip. Kurt had a million questions he wanted to ask Jane, but until he had proof of what she had claimed, he was going to wait. But there was one question he needed to ask.

"Did you ever… I mean… were you…" he stumbled with how to ask her exactly. There was no easy way to ask someone if they'd ever been a mercenary.

"No," Jane shook her head emphatically, "I found out the truth before she was planning on sending me out on my first… hire."

Kurt nodded, keeping his gaze straight ahead on the road.

Kurt wasn't sure what to expect when they reached the storage facility. He stood behind Jane as she entered the code and opened the door. But what he found inside, or rather, did not find, was very much not what he expected. The room was empty.

"Is this a joke?" he asked in frustration. They had spent over an hour driving to this location and a part of him was starting to think it was all just a play on her part to get her brother to make a run for it while she distracted him.

Jane shook her head. She closed the door behind them and then moved to the farthest corner. She kneeled in the corner and lifted a fake tile. Underneath, she grabbed a small box and walked up to Kurt.

"What's this?" Kurt asked. He took the box from her and looked it over. There was no lock or lid. He shook it and could hear something inside.

"It's a puzzle box," she said as she took it back from him and started moving things around, "I designed it so no one can open it."

After a few moments, the box popped open. Jane reached inside and pulled out an old flip phone.

"Phones fourteen years ago didn't take photos as well as they do now," Jane explained, "but they were just good enough."

Jane turned the phone on and handed it to Kurt. She watched him anxiously as he flipped through the few images that the phone's limited capacity could store.

It took Kurt a few minutes to go over them. Most of them were pictures of documents – letters, memos, communications and agreements. A lot of the text was redacted but there was enough to at least start an investigation. But it was not enough to incriminate anyone yet.

"It's a good start," Kurt said.

"But it's not enough," Jane said, looking down, her voice cracking.

"Not yet," he said, "but it could be something."

"It's all I could take without getting caught," Jane said, "and I wanted… I wanted to try to stay longer to get more, but I found out she was sending me out in a few days so I couldn't stay."

Kurt nodded. "I'm going to have to take you in," he said, "you and Roman. Even if he doesn't know-"

"I understand," she said, "but there's one more thing."

Kurt looked around the room quickly. There was clearly nothing else in there. When he looked back at Jane, she was suddenly taking her shirt off.

"Jane? What-"

But as she peeled the shit off of her, he saw them. The tattoos that covered her skin. All over her front, and as she turned around slowly, all over her back. "I couldn't take a picture of everything, but I when I found out, I started drawing the people that Shepherd met with," Jane explained. She watched him as he moved closer and studied the intricate design on her skin.

"I had a sketch book of all their faces," Jane said, "but… a sketchbook could be easily found and destroyed."

Jane brought her hand to her stomach and started to trace a specific pattern. And that was when Kurt started to see them – the faces hidden in the abstract patterns on her skin. "There are at least eight people there." She pointed to the different locations on her skin where she had hid the faces in the design.

"This is Shepherd," she said as she pointed to a spot on her side. But Kurt was too busy studying another one, on her shoulder blade. "I know him," Kurt said, "this is Tom Carter. He's the deputy director of the CIA."

Jane looked over her shoulder to see what he was looking at. "He was one of the most frequent visitors to the Ranch."

"No wonder we could never get anything on this case," Kurt whispered, "it's being protected by people very high up in the government."

Kurt continued to study the tattoos when he noticed something else on Jane's back. Without thinking, his hand reached up and he traced a faint line that ran across her skin. A scar. And Jane shuddered under his touch. She jumped away quickly and threw her shirt back on.

"Sorry," Kurt whispered, "what's-"

"Training to be a soldier leaves a few marks," Jane said, avoiding his gaze.

Kurt shook his head. He knew what battle scars looked like. "That's… that's not…" he said, scared of finishing his own thought.

"She caught up with us once, Shepherd," Jane said, her voice barely a whisper, as she wrapped her arms around herself, "she found us and she caught me."

Jane fell silent for a moment after that. "She tortured you?" he asked and she nodded.

For a moment, they just stood in the middle of the storage facility, a few feet apart, both trying to take all this in. jane had finally told someone the truth she'd been carrying for over a decade and it was all in this stranger's hands now.

Kurt put the phone in his pocket and looked at her. "Come on," he said, "we have to head back."

He said nothing else, and Jane followed him out quietly.

"What the hell is going on?" Roman's voice caught them both off guard as they stepped back outside.

"Roman?" Jane asked, shocked to see her brother there. She had never told him about this place so he had obviously followed them.

"What is going on here, Jane? What is this place? What's happening?" Roman questioned her.

"Roman," Jane said, "there's something I need to tell you."

They'd found a small quiet diner on the way back and for over two hours, Jane explained everything she knew, to both Kurt and Roman. Both men listened quietly as she told them everything, from the first day that she had first doubted something was off at the Ranch to how she spent months investigating and sneaking around and trying to keep record of everything she heard and found out.

"You've kept this from me? For fourteen years?" Roman said when she was done telling her story.

"I had to," Jane whispered apologetically, "I had to keep you safe. I had to protect you?"

"And who was protecting you?" Roman asked, "I'm not a child-"

"The less you knew the safer you were," Jane said.

"Why now? Why tell me now? And why tell him?" he asked, throwing a look towards Kurt who had been sitting there silently.

"Kurt's an FBI agent," Jane said, "he knows who we are."

Roman's eyes widened, red with anger. "You told all this to an FBI agent? You told him who we are?" Roman hissed, "he's gonna lock us up and not look back. Are you insane?"

Jane shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but Kurt cut her off. Speaking the first words he'd said since they'd arrived, he said, "No, I'm not. I'm not going to arrest you two."

"Why not?" Roman asked.

"Because I believe you," he turned and looked at Jane, "I believe you and I want to help. I want to bring Shepherd down."

* * *

 _to be continued._


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Is anyone still interested in this? Sorry it has taken me forever to update this. I have no good reason to have done that. Also this chapter is slightly filler. The action will pick up in the next one. But Felix makes an appearance here so that must account for something, right? Enjoy!

* * *

"Come on," Kurt said as he paid their bill and got up from his seat, "we have to go."

"Wait," Roman interrupted him, not moving yet, "where are we going to go? What happens now?"

Kurt looked between the two for a moment before he explained. "I have to take this to Mayfair," Kurt told them.

"No," Jane said urgently, "we can't- who's… who's Mayfair?"

"Bethany Mayfair," Kurt said, "she's the head of the New York office of the FBI and my boss."

"No, wait," Jane said, "what if she's involved. You said this goes high up. We can't trust anyone."

"We can trust her," Kurt reassured Jane, "I've known her almost my whole life. Plus, my hands are tied until she brings me back from my suspension."

"You're suspended!" Roman asked furiously, finally getting up and standing toe to toe with Kurt. "Did you know about this?" he turned to Jane.

"Yes, I did," Jane admitted.

"Oh, great," Roman huffed.

"Don't worry," Kurt tried to say confidently "it's all going to be ok."

"Doubtful-"

"Roman!" Jane interrupted him, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, "Ok, Kurt. Let's go see this Mayfair."

"You're going to have to tell her the whole thing again," Kurt said apologetically and Jane just nodded, resigned to the fact that over the next few days she will probably have to relive the story repeatedly.

It was the only choice they had. It was the only way to get from under the shadow that Shepherd had cast over their lives all those years ago.

The drive back to the city was almost done in complete silence. Roman occasionally asked questions – about people from their past and whether they were involved, about anything else she knew that she was keeping from him, about friends he thought they'd just lost touch with but had in fact been lost in battle.

"You guys aren't allergic to dogs, are you?" Kurt asked after he knocked on Mayfair's front door. But neither had time to reply before the front door opened and Mayfair's dog – Felix – came rushing at Kurt.

"Hey there, buddy," Kurt kneeled and greeted the excited pet.

"Weller? What are you doing here?" A voice came sternly from behind Felix and all three stared at the woman behind the voice.

"I'm sorry I didn't call to tell you we're coming," Kurt said as he got up, "but this can't wait."

Mayfair looked between Kurt and the two strangers behind him suspiciously, and after a moment, she made way for them and let them into her home.

Jane sat between Kurt and Roman, telling her story for the third time that day, she was starting to get tired. She felt Roman's hand on her back every once in a while, and she would glance at him appreciatively. She tried not to make eye contact with Mayfair. Even though the woman had welcomed them into their home and was open to listen to Jane's story, she seemed very cold, distant, and her poker face was not giving away anything.

When Jane was finally done telling her story, she let out a deep breath and looked up. Roman's hand was still on her back, and she could feel Kurt's eyes on her. But this time, she kept hers locked on Mayfair's.

And for a long time, Mayfair said absolutely nothing. She finally got up and poured herself another drink.

"There was this idea," Mayfair said as she sat down, "a concept... years ago, I think I was still at the Academy when I first heard of it. The idea of creating an off-books black ops program that would train these super soldiers to serve our country's interests abroad without officially being acknowledged as ours. It was a ridiculous idea. So extremely absurd that no one took it seriously. Or at least not seriously enough to try to move forward with it."

Mayfair studied the three people in front of her before she continued. "One person did try to make something of it, develop it enough to present it officially. But as far as anyone was concerned, it was laughed off. Ignored."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, questioning her choice of words.

"For years, there have been rumors that he had moved on with the program. That even though he never got official approval... someone still signed off on it," Mayfair explained.

"Are you saying... are you saying that this thing that Shepherd is running is an official government project?" Jane asked.

"Orion," Mayfair said, "its code name was Orion. But no. It's not official. Or legal in any way. But what you've described is exactly what the project was designed as. And if it did go ahead, then it's... it should be stopped. The people behind it should be stopped."

Roman and Jane shared a quick look, a small smile between them.

"I want to take the lead on this case," Kurt said quickly.

"Kurt, you're still-"

"I know I'm still suspended," he replied, "but you can't make me sit this one out."

"We want him to work on this case," Jane piped in.

Mayfair laughed, "that's not how it works," she told Jane.

"Mayfair, please," Kurt urged her.

"Come with me," Mayfair said and walked out into the hallway.

Kurt followed her quietly. Once out of earshot of the other two, Mayfair spoke. "Kurt, you know I can't just reinstate you," she said, "not after what happened on the last case."

Kurt shook his head. "I've been going to all the sessions with Dr. Sun," Kurt argued, "you can talk to her. I'm ok to be back."

"That's for her to determine. Not you," Mayfair said.

"I'm ready," Kurt said.

"What if the same thing happens-"

"It won't," Kurt insisted.

Mayfair studied him for a minute, mulling over her decision.

"Keep me under probation," Kurt offered, "I'll only work this case. Nothing else. And you can look over my shoulder every step of the way."

"Why?" Mayfair asked.

"Why what?" Kurt replied.

"Why do you want to work this case?" Mayfair asked him.

She'd known him almost his whole life, and she knew when something wasn't right. And she always knew when he was lying to her.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I just feel that I need to help them."

Mayfair finally agreed to let Kurt work the case, under her strict supervision. She also agreed that he pick his own team for the case.

"Why do we have to bring other agents in?" Jane asked as they got into the car.

"Because I cannot work the case alone," Kurt chuckled, "don't worry. I trust this team with my life, and you can, too."

Kurt drove Roman and Jane to their place and immediately noticed the car with the two agents parked outside.

And so did Jane. "Don't worry," Kurt said when he sensed her tense up. "Mayfair sent a detail to keep an eye on you two," he explained, "you're highly valuable witnesses to a big case now, so they will be with you all the time."

"Do they have to-"

"Yes, they do," Kurt insisted, "they'll bring you guys in tomorrow morning."

Kurt was waiting for Jane and Roman in the parking garage when they were driven to the NYO the next morning. Their security detail wasn't something either of them was excited to have and they weren't shy to show it. "Are we under arrest?" Roman's first words were to Weller when they stepped out of the FBI assigned vehicle.

"No," Kurt said, "you're not. They're for your protection."

"Protection from what?" Roman pushed.

"Once we start investigating, Shepherd is going to know someone's sniffing, and she will come after you again," he explained shooting Jane a quick look.

"Again? What do you mean again?" Roman asked.

Kurt turned to Jane, and the look she gave him made it clear her brother did not know about the scars on her back.

"Nothing. I don't mean anything," Kurt said as he led them into the elevator lobby, "it's just for your safety for now."

Roman finally relented his questioning just as the elevator arrived and they walked into it.

"We are going to have a briefing with the team first," Kurt explained as the rode the floors up to SIOC, "it won't be long, but you'll have to wait until we're done. And then you'll meet the team."

Roman and Jane nodded as he explained what the day ahead held for them. "After the debrief, you'll meet the team," Kurt said, "and after that, I'm sorry, Jane, but you'll have to give your statement again, this time officially."

Jane nodded. She knew this was going to have to happen again, and exhausting as it was, it was surprisingly getting easier every time.

"Then we'll have to scan your tattoos," he told her, "and the rest of the day will be spent with more questioning. For both of you."

"But Roman doesn't know anything," Jane argued.

"He may not have known of what was happening, but I'm sure you saw things around, right?" he explained as he turned to the younger man, "even if you didn't know what they were, you were witness to them."

"It's fine," Roman said, "any way that we can help to put an end to this."

The debriefing with the team took longer than they'd expected, and Jane and Roman were growing anxious waiting for them. They'd been set up in a small meeting room that looked over into the meeting room where Kurt, Mayfair and three agents were gathered. Jane studied them carefully, trying to make something, anything, of them. All she could tell was that they looked professional and from their mannerisms and body language, they seemed comfortable around each, like a team that was used to working together.

"What did Weller mean when he said Shepherd will come after us again?" Roman said as he bit into a bagel, a part of the small breakfast they'd provided for them.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, keeping her eyes on the team in the adjacent room.

"Weller said Shepherd will come after us, again," Roman said, "when has she come after us before?"

Jane finally turned to look at him, a sad smile on her face. "San Diego," she said, her voice cracking.

"San Diego?" Roman asked, "you mean that time you disappeared for a week and told me you'd met a guy?"

Jane nodded. "There was no guy," she said, "Shepherd had me."

Roman's eyes widened, "she had you?" he asked, "what do you mean she had you?"

Jane shook her head, willing the tears away at the memory, "she kidnapped me, tried to bring me back… she wanted to know where you were."

"Did she-"

"It's ok," she said.

"No, it's not," Roman said angrily, "did she hurt you?"

"It was so long ago," Jane said, "it's ok."

Roman shook his head and reached for her suddenly, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm sorry you've had to carry this all alone. I'll make it up for you. You don't have to protect me anymore."

Jane wrapped her arms around her brother and hugged him tightly, allowing herself to cry into his shoulder for a moment.

It was at least thirty minutes before the meeting in the other room ended and they were asked to join them.

"Jane, Roman," Mayfair led the introductions, "meet agents Edgar Reade, Tasha Zapata and Patterson."

"Just Patterson?" Roman said, trying to break the ice in the tense room, "No first name."

"She would tell you," Agent Zapata said, "but then she'd have to kill you."

Roman and Jane turned towards the agent, staring in shock at her words and then she started laughing and that was all it took to make everyone relax.

"So, let's get this started," Mayfair said, "I understand Agent Weller told you what today will entail, but let's go over everything again, make sure that we are all on the same page."

Roman and Jane move towards the table and each grabs a seat. Jane looks to her right when she notices Kurt had changed his seat and moved next to her. She smiled at him as he sat down. "Sorry this took forever," he whispered.

She shook her head. "It's fine," she replied.

"Is everything ok?" he asked and she looked at him questioningly. "Earlier, I… I looked over and it looked like –"

"It's fine… I told Roman about Shepherd finding me that time," she told him.

"Will you be ok doing this all over again today?" he asked her gently and she nodded, thanking him silently.

She shifted in her seat then, turning to face Mayfair and just then, for a brief moment, she felt his hand squeeze her shoulder and somehow, that made everything feel less overwhelming for just a moment.

The day seemed to go on forever. Jane spent at least two hours telling her story all over again, this time to the other agents – without Weller or Mayfair. And then she spent another two hours in the lab having her tattoos scanned. She barely got to see Roman, who had been taken to be questioned as well. They met briefly over a quick lunch break – in which she also got to see Kurt for a few minutes before she was taken again. She went through polygraphs and physical examinations and more interrogations.

By the time they were done, both Roman and Jane were physically and emotionally exhausted. Their security detail had them home just before midnight. Roman was already in bed, and Jane was about to call it a night when a knock on their front door startled them. She knew that their detail won't let anyone approach if they didn't have clearance. Jane looked through the peep hole, and tried to hide her smile when she saw Kurt standing outside.

"Hi," she said as she opened the door.

"Hi," he said, "sorry for – I know it's late – but I… you guys left before I could see you –"

"It's ok," she said with a smile, "do you want to come in?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, I should head home," he said, "I just wanted to check in on you, make sure everything was ok?"

Jane nodded, "exhausting, but we're fine."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there today," he said, "we had to go through some stuff to reinstate me."

"It's ok," Jane told him softly, "everything work out?"

"Yeah… yes," he said with a smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge, "got this back, so I'm officially back."

Her smile matched his when she saw how happy he was to be over with his suspension.

"Alright, I should go," Kurt said, breaking the moment, "good night, Jane."

He started to walk away when she reached for him, touching his arm briefly before he turned around. "Wait," she said and he turned to look at her.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Yeah, yeah… I just," Jane said softly, "I just wanted to thank you, Kurt, for… for everything. For believing me. For trusting me. For doing all… this."

His hand came up to her shoulder, just as it did briefly in the meeting room. "Of course… Jane, you don't need to thank me-"

"It's just that… Roman and I-"

Her voice was cracking, her tears threatening to fall, and Kurt took an unconscious step forward. His hand dropped from her shoulder, down her arm, and founds hers. He squeezed her hand gently, and whispered, "I know. Everything's going to be ok, Jane, I promise."

Jane smiled again, amazed at how he knew just what to say. But before she could reply, a voice from down at the sidewalk, interrupted them.

"Remi?"

The sound of the name she'd long abandoned startled her, sent a shiver down her spine – and she recognized the owner of the voice even though she could not see him in the dark. She felt Kurt's hand hold on to hers tighter, and he looked at her in concern as she paled. He looked over his shoulder as a figure walked closer towards the light and he instinctively moved in front of her, shielding her from whoever it was that was coming closer, who'd made her hands turn cold in his grasp.

And who had called her with her old name.

"Remi," the man said again as he walked into the light, "I knew I would find you."

Before Kurt could ask him who he was, Jane's voice came as a shivering whisper from behind him.

"Oscar?"

* * *

to be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

 **AN: Hello there! No, I have not forgotten about this fic but I have just been terrible at writing it because… I honestly have no reason. Hope you guys are still interested in reading it!**

 **AN2: I am no Patterson. And I make up some tech stuff here that I do now know if it is possible or not. But I believe Patty is capable of everything so I** **'** **m sure she can do this.**

"What… what are you doing here?" Jane asked, the nerves evident in her voice. She could feel Kurt's hand tighten around hers but she could not get her eyes off the man in front of her. The last time she had seen Oscar was the day she and Roman had ran away.

"I'm looking for you, Remi," Oscar said as he took a step forward, carefully eyeing the man that held Remi's hand in his, standing protectively in front of her.

Kurt looked between the two, sensing immediately how nervous and uncomfortable Jane felt – especially as the man she referred to as Oscar continued to call her by her old name. He didn't need to be a genius to figure out this was a person from her past – from her past with Shepherd.

"Do you want to come in?" Kurt suddenly asked and could immediately feel jane tense up behind him. He looked over his shoulder briefly, giving her a confident look that hopefully conveyed that he knew what he was doing.

"Who are you?" Oscar asked, finally acknowledging the man at Remi's front door after midnight.

"Just a friend," Kurt replied casually.

"I need to speak to Remi," Oscar said, "privately."

Kurt nodded slowly and then turned to look at Jane, once again hoping she understood the look he gave her. 'I'm here if you need me,' he promised, 'this is your decision.'

"Fine," Jane said, tightening her hold on Kurt's hand and pulling them both inside, making a clear announcement that Kurt would be staying, too.

"He's staying?" Oscar commented as he walked towards the front door.

"Don't worry," Jane said, "you'll get your private minute to say what you need to say."

Kurt looked at her and could not help but smile at how strong she stayed despite her apparent discomfort. She had obviously been caught off guard by Oscar's appearance.

Kurt went straight to the kitchen when they'd all walked in, leaving the living room for Jane and Oscar. It offered them enough privacy to talk and not be heard by him, but also allowed him to keep a visual on them, and make a phone call himself without being heard.

He waited a moment as he watched them sit down. Oscar taking on corner of the couch while Jane chose to remain standing on the other side of the room. Once he made sure that Jane had relaxed slightly, engaging in conversation with Oscar confidently, he reached for his phone and called Patterson.

"Weller? Are you ok?" Patterson immediately asked as she picked up.

"Yeah," he assured her, "are you sleeping?"

"No, I'm actually still at the office," Patterson replied.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Kurt admitted.

"Gee, thanks boss," Patterson laughed, "what do you need?"

"I need you to track a phone," he said, "but the only thing I can give you is that I'm a few feet away from its owner."

Kurt wasn't sure if she could even do such a thing, but if anyone knew how to do such a thing, it would be her.

"That's not much to work with," she told him.

"Can you do it, though?" Weller asked.

"Please," Paterson said. Kurt could hear her typing away at her computer for a bit before she spoke again.

"Ok, there are three other phones around you right now, sound about right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kurt said, "one should be Jane's and the other Roman's. I need you to track the third one… can you also hack it?"

"Easy there," Patterson said, "you're with Jane and Roman? Is everything ok? Who's the-"

"Everything's fine," Kurt said, "can you do it?"

"I can track it, yes," Patterson said, "but hacking it is going to be tricky."

"Ok, then never mind," Kurt said, "then just track it. Do what you can do. I'll explain everything tomorrow."

Kurt hung up with Patterson and leaned back against the counter, keeping an eye out on Jane and Oscar in the other room.

* * *

Jane kept an eye on Kurt as he walked ahead of them and went straight to her kitchen, understanding his plan to allow her and Oscar to speak in private but never keeping his eyes of them. Oscar also watched the other man and then sat down.

"Who is he?" Oscar asked again as he sat.

"A friend," Jane repeated Kurt's earlier explanation.

"A friend who's just randomly hanging out after midnight?" Oscar rolled his eyes.

"I think you lost the privilege of asking these questions a very long time ago, Oscar," Jane said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I lost the privilege?" Oscar scoffed, "you abandoned me, Remi."

"I didn't abandon you," Jane corrected him, "I told you I was leaving. I wanted you to come with me. I _begged_ you to come with me!"

"You know I couldn't do that," he replied.

"I just thought I meant more to you," Jane said, "but I guess I was just a foolish teenager back then."

"I'd never say you were ever foolish," he said.

Was he insinuating anything with that, Jane asked herself. She suddenly felt panic rise through her. Was he here on a mission from Shepherd? Or was he here on his own?

"Why are you here, Oscar?" Jane asked.

"I've been looking for you for so long," he replied, "I… I wanted to see you."

"After all those years?" she almost laughed, "I haven't been that hard to find."

She wasn't sure how high up he'd gotten since she had left, if he was close to Shepherd and the people in command or just another foot soldier.

"Shepherd keeps me busy. I haven't been exactly following your trail," Oscar kept his reply vague and brief, not giving away much and Jane could not tell if he knew that she knew.

"So," Jane said, "you saw me. What now?"

Oscar stood up and pressed his hands into his pockets. "Maybe we can get together again? Grab some coffee—"

"I… I don't know, Oscar," Jane said hesitantly, another wave of panic washing over her. That was not part of the plan.

She imagined setting up another meeting with Oscar could be good for the case, but she could not make those decisions on her own.

Oscar took a step closer and reached for her, touching her elbow briefly. "I miss you, Remi," he whispered.

Jane wished she could look over towards Kurt, will him to give her some sort of way out, but she knew he could not even hear what Oscar was asking.

She stepped back and moved towards the small side table. She grabbed the notepad by the phone and scribbled a number and handed it to him. "I'm usually home by six," she said, "you can call then."

She kept it brief, avoiding eye contact with him and then immediately went to the front door and opened it, signaling the end of his visit.

"Are you ok?" Kurt's voice came from behind her as she closed the door and she let out a breath she'd been holding since Oscar showed up. She turned around to face him and nodded. "I am now," she whispered.

"That was one of Shepherd's men, wasn't he?" Kurt asked.

"And my ex-boyfriend," Jane replied.

She spent the next few minutes filling Kurt in on who Oscar was and the conversation that had just taken place. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't know if I should give him my number or not. I panicked. I didn't give him my cell though because I thought if he's here because Shepherd sent him then he already knows where I live, but I didn't want them to be able to track my cell—"

"You did the right thing," Kurt reassured, "I've already got Patterson tracking his cell. We'll figure out more tomorrow. Don't worry about tonight. Your detail is still outside."

Jane nodded and folded her arms around herself. She trusted Kurt when he told her they would be safe, but the thought that Oscar was now on his way back to Shepherd to tell her exactly where they were sent another shiver through her.

"Do you want me to stay here, too?" Kurt then asked.

She looked up at him and smiled, shocked at how comfortable and safe she felt around this relatively complete stranger. It terrified her that he made her feel that way, especially after spending all her life hiding from anything like that, from letting people in or allowing herself to trust them.

She shook her head and touched his arm. "We'll be fine," she said, "go home, Kurt. I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched her for a moment and then returned the smile. "Good night, Jane."

* * *

"You did what?"

"You just let him walk out?"

The team's reaction was just what Kurt expected when they told them what had happened the next morning. He'd made sure that Jane and Roman did not get a ride from their detail, just in case Oscar was tailing them, and he had them snuck into the NYO using underground tunnels not many people knew about. But that had been the easy part. As they told the team about Oscar showing up, potentially on orders from Shepherd, they had reacted as he'd expected to the fact that he had not brought him in and that Jane had given him her number, basically agreeing to see him again.

"We couldn't raise suspicions," Kurt explained, "we don't know if he was there on orders from Shepherd or if he was working on his own and really just wanted to see Jane."

"Weller did the right thing," Mayfair piped in, "you both did," she added as she looked at Jane.

"This Oscar could be our fastest way to get to Shepherd and avoid a long-winded investigation," she said, "you two will stay at your place for now and we'll increase security just in case."

"We can take care of ourselves," Roman said, the first thing he had said all morning.

"I'm sure you can," Mayfair said, "but you don't have to. You're currently valuable assets to the FBI and it is our job to keep you safe."

"In the meantime, we continue doing what we were doing," she added, "I know it's exhausting, but Jane and Roman, you still need to continue with your statements. Our sketch artist is here to work with you on anyone you might remember from your time there. Patterson, you're on Oscar's phone. Try to get as much out of it as you can without leaving a trail."

Patterson nodded her agreement as Mayfair continued with her orders. "Reade and Zapata, you're on Carter. He's the biggest player we've identified and I want everything on him. And Kurt, I need you to draw up a game plan. This thing, if the Oscar angle pans out, will go down faster than we expected."

* * *

Oscar stood in Shepherd's office with a smug smile on his lips. "You did well, Oscar," she said, "I knew I can depend on you."

"Thank you, ma'am," he replied, "what do you want me to do next?"

"Keep an eye on her for the next few days," Shepherd said, "and then give her a call, set up a meeting for coffee. Keep it as casual as possible."

"What about that friend of hers?" he asked.

"Keep an eye out for him," she said, "he could be a threat but he could be nothing."

He's definitely not nothing, Oscar thought to himself, not the way he had stood there, protectively—possessively—or how Remi had clung to him. But he kept those thoughts to himself for now. He didn't want Shepherd to pull him off the case if she sensed he had any lingering feelings for Remi.

Outside Shepherd's office, one of her latest recruits, a disgruntled ex-Marine, Cade, stood guard, listening to every word being spoken inside. He didn't know Remi, but he knew of her. She was the traitor, the star soldier that had run away and betrayed the family. And he knew that she had been one of the people closest to Markos. He made a mental note of every word he heard to relay to Markos later that evening.

* * *

Jane had once again spent all day being asked questions and as comfortable as the team had tried to make it, it was still emotionally exhausting. But when she caught a glimpse of Kurt through the glass of the conference room he was huddled up in, she had a feeling he'd had a slightly more emotionally taxing day.

"Can I come in?" she asked after a gentle knock against the glass.

He looked up at her and nodded. "Please," he said, "all done?"

"For today," she said walking in and pulling up a seat next to him. She looked around at the table, the mess around him. "Long day?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, pressing his finger to his forehead.

"Do we have a plan moving forward?" she asked again.

"Not one that I'm happy with," he said, "but I'm going to have to share it with the team either way."

"Why aren't you happy about it?" Jane asked.

He looked at her then, just quietly studying her, her concern, her vulnerability—the trust she had in him carried in her green eyes—and panic suddenly hit him. He couldn't do this, not again. He was sure she could read it on his face because the concern in her gaze grew and she reached across the table to rest her hand on top of his.

"Kurt? What's wrong?" she whispered.

"The best plan I could come up with is using you and Roman as bait to lure out Shepherd," Kurt said quietly, not looking at her as he did.

"I figured as much," Jane admitted. She would have probably come to the same conclusion if she were him. "I don't want to put either of you in that kind of situation," he replied.

"We can handle ourselves," she said, "we'll be ok."

"I know you can—"

Before he could finish, the rest of the team began arriving for the evening briefing and Kurt knew there was no getting away from it then. He had to share this plan with them and he knew it was their best option, and that Mayfair would sign off on it immediately.

And she did. Jane could sense how uncomfortable and tense Kurt had been throughout the meeting and how he'd taken an uncomfortable step back as Zapata and Reade began to work out more details. She kept an eye on him, knowing fully well that there was something he was not telling her, the reason why he was so hesitant to suggest the plan in the first place.

"Alright," Mayfair said a few hours later, "let's call it a night. We still have a lot to work out, and all this is dependent on Oscar making contact again. Jane, you need to be home in case he calls."

The team started cleaning up their work to get ready to head out. "Jane and Roman, don't go back home together," Mayfair then added, "stagger your return just in case Shepherd has someone watching. Wouldn't want to act too suspicious."

"I need to go the gym anyway," Roman said.

"That's good," Mayfair said.

The team broke up and, one by one, left the conference room, leaving Kurt and Jane as the last two. "Are you ok?" Jane asked him.

"Yeah," Kurt replied, "can I give you a ride back home?" he asked.

"You don't have to," Jane said.

"Please?" Kurt urged. Jane understood that there was something he wanted to tell her, maybe, but either way, she agreed.

* * *

Just as they had done that morning, they had to use underground tunnels for their exit. Jane walked out of the unassuming building that the tunnels led to and then across the street to a random coffee shop. She spent some time there until Kurt met her and then they left together and walked a block or so to where he'd parked his car. They drove in silence for a while before Kurt spoke.

"I never told you why I had been suspended," he said.

Jane turned sideways in her seat and looked at him. "You don't have to," she told him.

"I know," he said, "but I want to."

"Ok," Jane said.

"Our last case led us to a… a sick man who'd kidnapped young children," he said, "and when we caught up to him, I lost it. Instead of just arresting him, I almost killed him."

Jane watched him as he spoke, his eyes were glued on the road ahead but she could feel the emotion in them.

"When I was ten years old, I was babysitting out next door neighbor, Taylor," Kurt said, "she was five."

He went on to tell her the rest of the tragic story—how she'd disappeared in the middle of the night and found dead the next day. His father had been the only suspect and before they could put him on trial, he had killed himself.

"My god, Kurt, that's…" Jane didn't know what to say to that. They had arrived to her place and were parked by the side of the road. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He was still not looking at her, just ahead as he had the whole ride.

"I let her down," he said, "I let her mother down. I couldn't keep her safe."

"It's not your fault," Jane said, "you were just a child yourself."

Kurt nodded, the sad, broken look on his face getting more traumatic. "I've heard that my whole life," he whispered.

Jane couldn't bear watching him like that. She turned fully in her seat until she was facing him and reached across, brushing her fingers tentatively against his cheek to get him to look at her. "Because it's the truth," she said, "it was not your fault. You had nothing to do with what happened to her."

Kurt gave her a sad smile and nodded. He took her hand—the one that had been caressing his cheek—in his. "I made you a promise that I'd keep you safe," he whispered, "and now I'm practically signing your death warrant with this plan."

"I'm not a five-year-old child, Kurt," she said, "and this is not on you. We're all in this together."

"What if I can't keep my promise? What if I can't—"

"It's enough that you're even trying," Jane cut him off.

"No, it's not," he replied.

Jane squeezed his hand tightly and tried to move as close to him as possible.

"I've never trusted anyone in my whole life," she said, "but I trust you."

"Why?" Kurt found himself asking.

Jane shook her head. She was not sure of the answer herself. She looked at him and then brought her free hand up to his chest, resting her palm against his heart. And then leaned in, over the center console and found herself pressing her lips gently against Kurt's.

The kiss was brief, almost too brief for Kurt to react, but he managed to bring his free hand to her cheek just in time, pulling her back in to deepen the kiss for a moment as she tried to pull back.

He pulled away first, fully aware that this could not be happening between them, but he still could not find the strength to let go of her completely. There as just something about this woman—he rested his forehead against hers, both their eyes closed.

"Jane—"

"It's ok, Kurt," she said with a sad smile, "I know… I just… I wanted a moment that was just us."

He smiled as he opened his eyes, taking her in, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "Just us," he repeated, enjoying the way that sounded out loud.

"We should—"

Before he could finish, he looked across the street towards her house to see two men standing there.

"Jane, do you know who those are?" he asked.

Jane looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened in shock. "I know one of them," she said, "the one with the beard. He's one of Shepherd's men. His name is Markos."


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

 **AN:** Thanks for everyone still reading this. I think there is one more chapter after this. I will probably wrap up the plot very unceremoniously to focus on some Jeller… I am pretty sure you guys won't mind, right? I don't know why but I just feel so meh about this fic at this point and I just want to wrap it up. I'm sorry if it's become crap. Anyway, here's chapter 6 with a whole lot of sweet Markos and snappy Cade.

* * *

Jane and Kurt weren't sure of their next move. She looked to him. He was, after all, the experienced FBI agent between them, and this was his case. If Shepherd had sent two of her men to her place, it was not a good sign. And Jane could not think of any other reason as to why Markos would be there. She had not seen him in years and as far as she knew, he was still part of Shepherd's operation.

"What should we do?" Jane asked nervously, "what are they doing here?"

"Have you been in contact with this Markos since you left?" Kur asked her.

Jane shook her head.

"And what was your relationship like with Markos before you left? Were you close?" He asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, "he was one of my closest friends actually. He was a few years older but we got along really well. But I didn't tell him when we left or why we did."

"Ok, let's go," Kurt said as he reached for the door handle.

"Wait," Jane said, reaching across and placing her hand on his arm, "what if Shepherd sent them?"

"There is a good chance Shepherd already knows where you two live, through Oscar," he reminded her, "so she's either sending someone else for more intel, or this isn't what we fear it is."

Jane nodded as he spoke. "And we still have the upper hand," he said, "she doesn't know you're investigating or that we're tracking Oscar's phone. So, let's act as casual as possible and go see what this Markos and his friend want, ok?

Kurt scanned the street, making sure Jane's detail was still stationed where they needed to be, and then got out of the car.

"You look good," Markos called out when she was still a few meters away and smiled when she shot him an angry look.

Jane didn't reply, and she all but dragged him into her place from his shirt.

She shoved him inside and then did the same to his friend and for the first time, Kurt was able to see just how physical capable Jane was.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jane barked at him after she kicked the door closed, "and who's that?"

"I can see you haven't lost it," Markos said as he straightened, "and yes, I've missed you, too."

"Markos," Jane hissed through her clenched teeth.

"Fine, fine," Markos replied as he casually walked over towards the couch, "come on, have a seat and let me fill you in."

Markos sat down and looked at the three people in front of him, still standing by the front door. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "where are my manners? Cade this is Remi, I mean, Jane," he gestured towards the man who had come with him, "and Jane, this is Cade."

He then looked over towards Kurt and smiled. "And you are?"

"Kurt. I'm a friend of Jane's."

"What the hell is going on, Markos?" Jane said as she walked over and sat down, watching as Cade and Kurt did the same.

"I hear Oscar paid you a visit yesterday," Markos said.

"He did," she replied, "and today, you're here. None of this is reassuring."

"Don't worry," Markos said, "I'm here to help."

"What do you mean?" Jane said.

Markos looked at her and then over at Kurt. "Is he going to stay?" he asked.

"Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of Kurt," Jane said stubbornly.

"You mean—"

"Kurt knows I stole some money and ran away from home as a teenager and my foster mom is trying to find me and make me pay it back," Jane said.

Well, that was one way of putting it.

Markos nodded.

"Well, then you should know that Oscar was here because she sent him," Markos said, "and now she's found you."

"And why are you here? Did she send you too?" Jane said.

"No, I'm here to warn you," Markos said.

"Aren't you worried she'll know? She probably has Oscar following me," Jane said.

"That's true," Markos said, "but that little trick you guys pulled with Roman leaving that building with a girl that looks like you? It worked. He's following them instead of following you."

Jane looked at Kurt and they both smiled.

"You still got it, Jane," Markos said, "you were always the… sneakiest one."

"Why are you really here, Markos?" Jane asked again.

"You're not the only one who hates Shepherd… who hates that place," he said looking at Kurt as he spoke.

Jane turned to Kurt and gave him a knowing look. He smiled and got up. "I'll give you guys a minute," he said and got up to leave, just like the night before, and disappeared into the kitchen.

The other three watched him leave and once Markos was sure he was out of earshot, he spoke again. "We're done," he said, "we cannot go on doing what she has us doing."

Markos and Cade spent the next thirty minutes telling Jane of all the things they had done over the years, all the horrible ungodly things they'd been forced to do. Jane felt sick. A part of her was relieved that she had managed to get herself and Roman away when she did, not that they were leading an honorable life but it was still better than turning into bloodthirsty, conscienceless murderers, and another part of her felt guilty for leaving her friends behind, for seeing the people she grew up with having to turn into this, to commit these crimes.

"Why didn't you leave before?" Jane asked, not accusingly but just in shock after what she'd heard.

"We tried," Cade said, "so did many others."

"You know what she did to those she caught?" Markos said.

"Execution," Cade quickly said, "in front of everyone else. Shepherd made sure no one every tried to step out of line, let alone try to escape."

"We're done," Markos said, "we can't go back. We're not going back."

Jane was silent for a few minutes. A part of her was still worried it was all part of Shepherd's plan, that Markos and Cade were working for her, saying jsut the right things to get to her. She looked briefly over towards Kurt and she remembered his promise from the car.

And once again, not for the first time, she felt that she could trust him, blindly so. And as much as she took relief in that feeling, it also terrified her. If there was anything she'd learned was that she could never trust anyone. But then he looked at her and smiled, nodding gently, and she understood. Whatever she wanted to do, he'd have her back.

Jane got up and paced around the room for a minute. She could feel Markos' and Cade's eyes on her as she slowly tried to decide what to do next. She knew she did not have much time. Roman would be back soon and with him Oscar on his tail. And Oscar could not find out Markos and Cade were there. If they were telling the truth, at least, and if she was going to help them escape from Shepherd… there was only one thing to do.

"If you're lying to me, I swear, Markos, I will hunt you down and kill you," Jane finally said.

"You can trust me, Remi," Markos said, "I am not lying to you. I am not using you and I will not betray you. I just came here to warn you and we're disappearing."

Jane shook her head. "No, you're not," she said, "if you do, she will find you and it won't be as merciful as a public execution."

"We don't have much of a choice," Cade said dryly.

"Yes, you do," Jane said.

Jane looked between the two men and took a deep breath. "We take her down," she said.

The humorless laugh that escaped Cade's throat made her want to punch him. But she understood his disbelief.

"Jane, there's no taking her down," Markos said calmly, "this goes so much higher than just Shepherd. She's just the middle step of a much longer ladder."

"I know," Jane said confidently, "But you have so much intel, Markos, you've been there for so long… with what you know, we _can_ take her down. Shepherd and everyone above her on that ladder."

"That's insane," Cade said.

"Who would even believe us?" Markos argued, "if we go to the cops with this, or whoever we go to with this, they will just arrest us and throw us in a hole we'll never see the light of day. We're the soldiers. We're the ones with blood on our hands. The others are untouchable. It would be suicide."

"There is someone who will believe us," Jane said, "I'm… Shepherd… this whole thing… it's already a case at the FBI."

Jane watched their reactions, watched as their eyes widened with realization.

"You're working with the feds?" Cade asked.

"Yeah," Jane said, "I am."

"Jesus Christ, Remi," Markos said, "what the hell is going on?"

"Roman and I haven't been exactly the law abiding citizens al these years," Jane admitted, "we got caught and we cut a deal with the FBI. We help them take Shepherd down and we walk free."

"That's bullshit!" Cade snapped, jumping out of his seat and obviously heading towards the door. Markos grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Explain," Markos said.

"I have stuff on Shepherd," she said, "that's why she's so hellbent on tracking me down. It's nothing more than that. And I've taken that information to the FBI."

"She's lying," Cade hissed.

"No, she's not," Kurt said as he walked into the room.

Markos and Cade looked at Kurt and then back at Jane. "Kurt is FBI," she said, "he's the lead agent on the case."

"You set us up?" Markos asked.

Jane shook her head. "I did no such thing," she said, "you're the ones who showed up at my doorstep."

"You're a fed?" Cade said, walking up to Kurt.

"I am," Kurt replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his badge, making sure both Cade and Markos saw his holstered gun.

"And you have a case against Shepherd?" Markos asked.

"We do," Kurt confirmed.

"And we could use your help," Jane said, and then looking over at Kurt, she added, "I'm sure we can get you two a deal as well."

Kurt nodded his reply. Their crimes were much worse than Jane's and Roman's but their intel was probably that much better, especially after hearing that Markos has gone higher and higher up the ranks over the years. If those two could help them take Shepherd down tomorrow, he was sure Mayfair wouldn't mind signing on any deal, especially that they were recruited and forced into this as children.

"I don't know… we just… we just want to disappear," Markos said, "get as far away as possible from this and never look back. The things we've done… we've done some terrible things."

"Markos—' Jane started saying before Cade interrupted her.

"Don't you get it, Markos," he said with resentment in his voice, "she's not giving us a choice. We either help them or her boyfriend here arrests us. There's no way he'll let us walk out of here if we don't say yes to this."

Jane shook her head and rolled her eyes at Cade. She didn't know this guy, and so far, she could not call herself a fan of him either. But Markos… Markos was as dear to her as he ever was, even if she had not seen him in years. She reached out for Markos, grabbing his hand in hers tightly. "No, this is not what this is about, Markos, I promise," she said, "I know you. I realize it's been years since we've seen each other, but you were like a brother to me. You were one of my first and closest friends and we're made of the same stuff. I know how this is eating at you, how everything Shepherd had made you do over the years is tearing you apart. This is your chance to clear your conscience, to live the rest of your life without that guilt. This is your chance to make things right."

"Don't listen to her, Mar—"

"Shut up, Cade," Markos snapped at him, "Remi's right. Even if we do manage to run away, the ghosts of our past will continue to haunt us. We'll never be free. Not truly."

Markos turned to Cade an gently touched his shoulder. He gave him a smile and a reassuring nod before turning back to Jane. "We're in," he said, "but we need that deal down in writing."

Jane turned look at Kurt.

"Let's head back to the NYO," he said, "you two shouldn't stay here anyway, in case Oscar follows Roman back. I'll take your initial statements and outline a deal for you, and tomorrow morning, we'll take this to my boss and see where we go next."

All four looked shared looks between each other, measuring each other up and letting all this sink in. "You'll have to stay the night at the NYO holding," Kurt then added, "it's the safest place for you to be tonight before we figure out what to do next."

"You can't just put us in a nice little hotel? Or a safe house?" Markos asked.

"Not tonight," Kurt apologized.

Another silent moment fell between them. "Ok, then," Markos finally said, "I guess we're doing this."

"You better not screw us over," Cade turned to Jane aggressively, and in return, got Kurt grabbing him by the arm and pulling her back.

"I wouldn't threaten her again if I were you," Kurt said.

"Cade, take it easy," Markos said calmly, "we've got to work together now. Remi isn't going to screw us over, right?"

Jane shook her head. "Of course not," she said, "as long as you don't either."

As it turned out, Kurt, Markos and Cade stayed up the whole night. Once Markos started with his statement, he insisted on telling Kurt everything. Even though Kurt told him that they'd have to do all this the next morning when the team came in, Markos still insisted. This was the first time in his life that he'd felt so relieved, so free of the lies and the burden of carrying what he knew. And as it turned out, Cade, who had only joined a few years ago, and who's rank was so beneath Markos, didn't know most of the things Markos was admitting. Beyond knowing what they did there, mostly information Jane had already shared with the FBI, Cade was basically useless. But Kurt understood right away that those two came as a package and the same deal he was going to have to offer Markos, he'd have to offer Cade as well.

As long as that information helped them capture Shepherd and everyone else she worked with, Kurt felt comfortable offering a deal to two relatively lowly soldiers.

And so far, the information was just what they needed. Markos gave him names— names of missions and cities and names of foreign politicians and names of US politicians, of businessmen, of decision makers… the list of people involved seemed to be endless.

This was the kind of information that not only put people behind bars, it was the kind of information that could overthrow governments and bring forth a complete shakedown. Some of the names he heard did not surprise Kurt— Hank Crawford for example, a shady businessman who Kurt had never felt comfortable around the few times he'd met him. And a few names did surprise him— Elenor Hirst as far as Kurt believed was a straight shooting FBI official who'd always seemed squeaky clean.

Kurt texted Mayfair. He told her he believed they'd caught a break in the investigation and that she would find out more in the morning. Debriefing and taking Markos' statement lasted until the early hours of morning. At that point, Kurt took the two men into holding and went to grab some sleep in the break room.

And then, less than two hours later, they did it all over again. This time it was with the whole team, as well as Jane and Roman. At the mention of Hirt's name, Mayfair ordered everyone to stop talking.

"Patterson, encrypt everything you have your system for this case," she said, "no one can have access except you. Reade, Zapata, clear your stations from anything relating to the case. Everyone else, come with me."

No one argued. They quickly gathered their things, every piece of paper, file or document they had and followed Mayfair, with Patterson a few steps behind as she focused on her tablet, hiding the files from everyone else who had access to the system. Mayfair led them three floors further down into the basement. SIOC was already located six floors down, but this place— none of them had ever seen it. They had heard rumors of a secret floor from where only the most secretive ops were handled, but it was more of an FBI urban legend than anything else.

But apparently, it was real.

After entering a series of passwords and passcodes and maneuvering through a series of dark corridors, they ended up in a lab, not unlike Patterson's upstairs. "No one outside this room can know anything about this investigation," Mayfair finally said, "if Hirst is involved than it is safe to assume she has eyes and ears upstairs, and who knows who else can be a part of this. We cannot risk anything until this is over. Understood?"

He got a bunch of nods and yes ma'am in return. "Until then, you all live here now," she said, and then turned to Markos and Cade, "except you two. I'm not sure what we're doing with you two, yet. Jane, you'll let Oscar's call, if he calls you at home, go to voice mail and then call him back. The rest of you, there's everything you need in here to do your job. This floor is almost a replica of SIOC… except it doesn't exist. Not officially. You'll work, eat, sleep in here until we find out what the hell's going on and until we bring this to an end. Hirst has a lot of pull upstairs. I won't risk this operation over someone accidentally overhearing something, understood?"

Mayfair left the team, putting Kurt in charge and giving him absolute control on the operation and headed back to her office. Business as usual for the assistant director of the New York office of the FBI.

"So, in light of all this new intel, I think we should review the plan we'd discussed last night," Kurt said.

Kurt broke the team up— Reade and Zapata to prepare the draft of Markos' and Cade's deals, Patterson with Markos and Cade to continue mapping out the organizational chart of the Shepherd's operation.

"What about us?" Roman asked after everyone left the briefing room, leaving him and Jane alone with Kurt.

"You guys can get some rest," kurt said, "the past two days have been exhausting and you've earned a break. There's a room in the back with some beds and I think Mayfair said something about a fully stocked kitchen." Roman smiled in relief. As much as he wanted to help, Kurt was right, the past two days had been exhausting and he wouldn't mind some rest. He turned towards the door and then looked over his shoulder at Jane.

"You coming?" he asked.

"I'll be there in a minute," Jane replied.

She watched Roman leave and then turned to Kurt, who had already fallen back into his files, pouring over them, and she figured she knew what he was thinking.

"Are you thinking what I think you are?" She asked him as she walked over.

He looked up at her and smiled, a nervous smile, but a still, a smile. "Now that we have Markos and Cade, we won't need to use you or Roman as bait," he told her, "I still need to work out the details but—"

He looked between her and his files and then stopped. She had come to stand right next to him, and suddenly, all he could think about was the evening before in his car. She was so close—

"You should get some rest," he quickly said, looking away and shifting onto his side.

"Oh… ok," Jane said, and he could hear the way her voice broke, "I'll—"

"Jane—"

"I'm sorry about last night," she blurted out, still standing next to him but looking away.

Kurt closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, Jane, no, that's…" he looked back at her and briefly brushed his fingers against the back of her hand, "we can't screw this up. We… we have to focus on this now," he said, "I wouldn't want any of us to do anything that would… compromise anything, or lose focus or affect our judgement—"

"No, you're right," she mumbled, "I shouldn't have—"

"Maybe… maybe when all this is over—"

She looked back at him, biting her lip, a sad look in her eyes. Even after all this was over, no matter how it ended, they were from completely different parts of the world. Nothing could ever happen or work between them.

Last night was… they were just caught in the moment, both tired and emotional—

"It's ok, Kurt," she whispered, "I understand. I'm gonna… I'm… just call us when you have something."

"It won't work," Cade was the first to speak after Kurt finished presenting his initial thoughts— use Markos and Cade as bait.

"Cade is right," Markos said, "using us won't lure her out. She'll just send assassins and get rid of us."

"We're not enough to get Shepherd out in public," Cade added, "we'll just be considered liabilities that need to be taken care of."

"There's only one thing that will get her to make a move, that will make her attainable," Markos said.

"Her," Cade said pointing at Jane.

"You see, the one weakness Shepherd has is Remi, is the fact that Remi got away," Markos explained, "she was Shepherd's favorite, her star soldier. She never got over that betrayal, that failure on her end. She's blinded by that betrayal and by her need for revenge."

"If anyone's going to be used as bait… it has to be Jane."


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

 **AN:** Well guys, this is it. The final chapter. Thank you to everyone who stuck around with this!

* * *

"She won't buy it if it doesn't look real," Cade said.

"Then we'll make it look as real as possible," Zapata smirked.

The plan was being put into motion. Cade and Markos were going to go back to Shepherd—their overnight absence explained by their going out and getting into a bar fight. Apparently, it would not be the first time that would have happened. And then, they will act as double agents, reporting back to the team. Their deal was dependent upon them providing usable intel and not screwing the team over.

And it brought joy to Tasha that Cade insisted the bar fight story holds up because it meant punching the man who'd been getting on her nerves all day.

The second part of the plan was to wait for Oscar to make contact with Jane and set up a meeting. They were hoping he would lead them back to Shepherd as Cade and Markos collected enough intel to help them build an iron clad case against her and her organization.

And everything was going according to plan.

Markos and Cade did send pictures of the people coming in and out of the compound and kept their end of the deal.

Oscar did make contact and set up a coffee date with Jane. She had told him that Sunday would be a perfect time—allowing them a few days to prepare any final details.

But then, Markos called, less than twenty-four hours before the meet, and he had some bad news.

"He's going to do what?"

"His orders are to put something in her drink, knock her out and take her to Shepherd," Markos repeated. He could tell Agent Weller was raging on the other end.

"We have to call it off!" Kurt said.

The team was gathered in their secret conference room, Markos on speaker phone as they discussed the latest development.

"We're not calling it off," Tasha argued, "not with everything we have on her. Kurt, this case is—"

"Mine," he interrupted her angrily, "and I call the shots."

His sudden outburst caught everyone by surprise and they were all speechless for a moment before Kurt bragged his files and stormed out.

Patterson made a move to go after him, but Jane stopped her with a hand against her arm. "Erm… can I?" she said hesitantly and gestured towards Kurt.

"Of course," Patterson said, moving aside to allow Jane to go after him.

Jane found Kurt in the little makeshift room they'd been using as a bedroom for the past few days, sitting on one of the cots, his file on the bed next to him, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"The intel we have can take down Shepherd, her organization and over a dozen corrupt businessmen and politicians," she said as she leaned against the door frame.

"I know that," he replied without looking up.

"It would be a huge win for the FBI," she added, "and for this team."

"I know that, too," he said, looking up at her briefly.

"Then why are you doing this?" she asked as she walked towards him.

He watched her as she moved, shifting slightly, silently inviting her to sit down.

"Because it means handing you over to her to do so," he admitted, "I can't do that."

"She won't kill me straight away," Jane said, "she'll take her time. And by then, you'd have raided the compound."

"It's not a risk I'm willing to take," Kurt said, surprising her when he took her hands in his, "what if we're late? What if something goes wrong? What if—"

"I trust you," she said, squeezing his hands gently.

Kurt gave her a small smile and nodded. Emma Shaw had trusted him as well. Seeing the anguish on his face, Jane knew exactly what he was thinking. She gave his hands another squeeze and then moved one hand to his cheek. "I trust you," she said again, "and I trust this team, and I trust Markos, and I trust your plan."

She brushed her fingers against his beard. "And I need you to trust me," she said, "to trust my training and Roman's when I tell you I can handle Shepherd. I know you hate to hear this, but I am trained in withstanding torture."

He winced at her words. The thought of her being tortured made him sick.

"I'm tired of living my life this way," she said, both her hands going into her lap, "I hate being a criminal, and I hate running from city to city to hide from my past, and I am tired of lying to everyone, unable to make friends or real connections."

"Jane—"

She shook her head, "I want justice, I want to take Shepherd down and I just want a normal life," she said, "I want to have real relationships, I want—"

This time he interrupted her, brushing his fingers against her cheek, "ok," he whispered.

He leaned in, just briefly resting his forehead against hers, "but we're making some changes to the plan."

The plan was not to place any trackers on Jane, to avoid her being made, but the latest development gave Kurt an idea.

"Patterson," Kurt said as the team reconvened, "remember that experimental NSA bug you were telling me about last month?"

Patterson looked at him in shock. "The fake tooth?" she asked. Kurt nodded.

"Completely undetectable, right?" Kurt asked.

"Unless they know what they're looking for," Patterson said, "and unless they know to look for this—which I'm sure they won't—there's no way to find it."

"Dental surgery was the last thing I expected to have to go through today," Jane chuckled as she walked out of the room where Patterson had just implanted the tracker.

The had three hours before Jane's date with Oscar and she had to go to her house where Oscar was supposed to pick her up.

"How does it feel?" Kurt asked her.

"It's feels fine," Jane told him.

Kurt nodded. "We have everything ready," he said, "the tac team are in place and Mayfair has everything we have on the case."

"Good, good," Jane said, nodding nervously.

"Jane," Kurt said, moving closer to her, "I know this is scary, but remember, we'll be hearing everything, and we'll be five minutes away at any time."

Jane nodded and reached for him, grabbing onto his hand. "I'm actually more nervous about seeing Oscar than Shepherd," Jane chuckled nervously.

Kur smiled, and then, with a gentle finger under her chin, he lifted her face to look at him. "Hey," he said softly, "I've got your back, every step of the way, ok?"

Jane nodded and smiled at him. "Ok," she whispered.

"There's one more thing," Kurt said as he stepped back, "Roman is going to gear up with us. Mayfair approved. I'll keep an eye on him," Kurt promised, "I'll make sure he's safe."

"Thank you," Jane said.

Ten hours later, the FBI raid was officially being reported by to the director of the FBI office and the suspects were being brought into holding one after the other. The operation was a success and it was now in the hands of the DA's office.

The team stood in the middle of SIOC, along with their assets on the case, Jane, Roman, Markos and Cade, getting their heroes' welcome.

"Alright, alright," Mayfair called out, silencing the celebrations, "break it up now. Jane, Roman, I need to see you in my office please. The rest of you go home, get some rest. You've earned it."

"And by rest, Assistant Director Mayfair means, we're all meeting up at Norm's down the street for drinks!" Tasha announced to more cheers from the team and the rest of SIOC.

"Why do you think Mayfair wanted to see them?" Patterson asked as they were getting ready in the locker room.

"Probably to go over their deal?" Reade suggested.

"Well, that could've waited for tomorrow," Tasha argued, "either way, Patterson, don't worry, I'm sure they'll join us for drinks later and you'll get one more chance to shamelessly stare at Roman."

"Hey, I don't—"

"Yes, you do," Reade laughed, "we all spent a week together and it was quite obvious."

"I don't blame you," Tasha said, "he's fine."

It took them a couple of hours but Roman and Jane finally joined the team for those drinks. By the time they got there, most of the other agents had left and those who remained were only the team they'd worked the case with.

"Hey, you guys are here!" Tasha called out from their table, signaling to the bartender to send more drinks their way.

"What did Mayfair want?" Patterson asked.

"Just to go over a few more things and to thank us for our help," Roman answered briefly.

They didn't spend much time there afterwards. With everyone exhausted and dying to go back to their apartments, they decided to call it a night.

Reade, Patterson and Tasha said good bye to Jane and Roman, genuinely expressing how much they appreciated their help and pleasure to have met them and then gone their separate ways.

Jane and Roman were then left with only Kurt on the sidewalk outside the bar.

"Hey, I'm gonna walk back," Roman said, "I need the fresh air. Why don't you two share a cab?"

He didn't wait for a reply, giving Kurt one last look before he turned around and started walking away.

"He's not big on subtlety," Jane said, ducking her head.

Kurt laughed and moved closer to her. "How are you doing?" he asked. They hadn't had a chance to properly talk since the raid and he knew that her encounter with Shepherd had not been easy.

"I'm fine," Jane said, "just glad this is over."

"If you want to talk about what happened with Shepherd, I'm here," he told her.

She nodded appreciatively. "Thank you," she replied, "I might take you up on that… later."

Kurt smiled. "I was also thinking… if you would like to grab some dinner some time," he said.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Jane smiled, blushing slightly.

"Yeah," he said, "I'm no longer the agent in charge of your case, so there's no conflict of interest."

"That's true," she replied but then just looked at him, not answering his question and smiling as he grew more confused.

"You're just going to leave me hanging?" he asked her nervously.

Jane laughed. "You're no longer the agent in charge of my case," she said, "but where does the FBI stand on coworkers dating?"

Kurt's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Mayfair offered Roman and I a job," Jane admitted.

"What did you say?" Kurt asked.

"That I'll think about it," Jane said, "because it depends…"

"Depends on what?" Kur asked.

Jane smiled and rose up on her tip toes, pressing her lips to his briefly. "On where you stand on dating a fellow agent."


End file.
